


Just Desserts

by Tzalmavet



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-11-18 01:32:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11280957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tzalmavet/pseuds/Tzalmavet
Summary: The Batter has a candy bar.  Zacharie wants him to share it.





	Just Desserts

Zacharie walked cheerily down a sidewalk in zone 2.  Some of the residents stared as he passed, and others hurried to move to the other side of the street, and that was all fine.  Just another typical day in the zones, and he was glad that he that could enjoy it.

Then, through a gap in some of the buildings, Zacharie noticed a tall figure sitting on a bench the next street over.  He slowed his pace, and tiptoed over into an alleyway to get a better look.  He'd known at once it was the Batter, but what had him curious was why he was sitting down instead of scurrying around killing ghouls, like he usually did.  Zacharie saw the Batter break a piece off of something small in his hands, and immediately recognized what he was holding.

It was a chocolate bar.

He could hardly believe it.  He resisted the urge to shout 'wow!' or laugh as the Batter lifted the piece into his mouth, but Zacharie's jaw still fell open.  The bar had an attractive silvery wrapper that had been carefully peeled back, and was sticking out of a slender, fitted box made of a material that looked to be something like hardened paper.

Zacharie had always assumed that the Batter was a strictly carnivorous man.  It made sense, since he'd seen the Batter eat and drink nothing but meat since they first met.  However, the relaxed expression on the Batter's face and the calm, distant look in his eyes said that he was indeed very much capable of enjoying other food.

"Hello, friend!" Zacharie shouted and waved, coming out of his hiding spot and towards the bench, "Fancy meeting you here!"  The Batter blinked and perked up, as if he were coming out of a trance.  Was the chocolate _that_ good?  Zacharie's curiosity skyrocketed.

"Hello, Zacharie," he replied, "This isn't the shopping mall."

Zacharie laughed.  "I'm well aware of that. But I can't spend _all day_ sealed up in that chilly nest of spectres," he said, "I think it nice to get up and stretch my legs every so often. It's not as if I won't be back there when you need me, you know."

"I guess," the Batter replied, glancing back down to his snack and nipping off one of the corners.

"I didn't take you for a _candy-eating_ man, Batter," Zacharie smirked, crossing his arms.  The Batter simply shrugged in response.

Zacharie had always enjoyed chocolate.  He usually got it from Sugar, though he had no idea where _she_ got it from (not that he cared much about that).  It was always nice and creamy and sweet, and he'd been quite upset when he found out he couldn't share the experience with Pablo or Valerie.  Zacharie was pleasantly surprised to find that the Batter liked it, too.

"May I have a little piece?" Zacharie asked.  The Batter looked up from his candy and furrowed his brow, looking a tad bit offended at the request.

"There, there! I don't want much," Zacharie said, sitting down to join the Batter on the bench.  "Not even half. One square, or even half of one, would be fine. It's only natural for friends to expect to share with one another, right?"  The Batter stared at Zacharie long and hard, supposedly mulling it over.

"Okay," he finally said, and cleanly snapped a perfect rectangle off of the bar and held to up to Zacharie.

"Aha! Thank you very much, my dear friend!" Zacharie replied, carefully taking it from between the Batter's fingers.  Upon closer examination, Zacharie could appreciate the pleasantly deep brown color it had, and the intricate patterns, resembling fine regal engravings, that were molded into its surface.   _Fancy._

Zacharie lifted the bottom of his mask up for just a moment to pop the chocolate into his mouth.  The patterns gave it an interesting texture.  He shifted his jaw and bit the piece in half, so that it would melt more easily.  He'd had enough chocolate to know that it was best appreciated after it melted a little, but that didn't prepare him at all for the sensation of every muscle in his body seizing up as the flavor hit him.

It was **_bitter._**

Zacharie slapped a hand over his mouth, but it connected with his mask instead.  The thing Batter had given him tasted more like chalk than food.  It was as if someone had taken a bunch of pencil lead, ground it up, and maliciously compressed it all into the shape of an otherwise delicious treat.  He realized the Batter was looking at him, and tried not to gag as the taste of liquid charcoal coated his tongue.  He'd accidentally wandered through fumes coming off of Burnts that tasted better than this.

"How does it taste?" the Batter asked.   _Like hell, thanks_ , Zacharie thought.  Zacharie really hoped the Batter couldn't see his eyes watering through the holes in his mask, and agonizingly finished chewing up the confectionery disaster in his mouth before forcing its remains down his throat.

"I can see why you like it," Zacharie replied, already feeling his stomach starting to protest.  He miraculously managed to keep the pain out of his voice as he spoke.

"Do you want another piece?" the Batter asked.  Zacharie couldn't tell if the Batter was mocking him, or was just _that_ innocent as to how bad his taste in candy was.  Zacharie's stomach twisted even more at the thought of cramming another fragment of that horrible stuff into his body.

"No, thank you," Zacharie said calmly, raising a hand.  "It is _your_ candy. I just wanted to give it a try, is all."  The Batter nodded, and Zacharie grimaced behind his mask as the Batter took a bite out of the chocolate bar and chewed it slowly, like it was _good_.

"Well!" Zacharie said, standing up, "I ought to head back to the mall. Or to wherever else you'll need me next."

"Okay," the Batter replied.

"Best of luck to you, Batter," Zacharie said, and hurried back the way he'd came.  He caught the Batter waving to him friendly-like as he left.

Zacharie wondered how long he'd be standing at a bathroom sink for, scrubbing the experience out from between his teeth.


End file.
